Bridging recognition and action through land acknowledgments
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Land acknowledgments — the recognition that Indigenous people were the original inhabitants of American land — have become more common among academics, nonprofits, companies, celebrities and even in social media bios.
Why it matters: The well-meaning attempts to educate non-Indigenous people risk being ineffective without concrete action to support Indigenous communities.
- When you make an acknowledgement, it can't just be one and done," Lydia Jennings, a citizen of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and soil scientist, told Axios.
- "It has to be this reminder of having ongoing action — of being a steward, continuing to do things, of making space, making [systemic] change."
State of play: While land acknowledgments are not new in the U.S., America's reckoning with race in 2020 prompted more institutions to adopt them, Jennings said.
Zoom in: In 2022, San Antonio's San Pedro Playhouse formally acknowledged that the land it occupies was originally inhabited by Coahuiltecan tribes like the Payaya, Paguame and Jarame.
- The theater committed to actionable steps, such as partnering with Indigenous representatives for arts projects and integrating their stories into its programming, according to KENS.
By the numbers: 82,777 people in Bexar County identify as American Indian or Alaska Native (4% of the county's population), per the 2023 American Community Survey.
- Bexar County's population includes people from 102 Native American groups, making it one of only three Texas counties to surpass 100 groups, the Express-News found.
The bottom line: The phrasing of a land acknowledgment can sometimes put Indigenous people in the context of history, rather than in the present, said Michaela Madrid, the program director at Native Governance Center and a citizen of Lower Brule Sioux Tribe.
- "As a Native person, it can feel kind of awkward during these land acknowledgments," Madrid said. "We know that this is our land and that it was stolen.